I've been included in a Minnesota anthology "Under Purple Skies", now available on Amazon!

My second chapbook, "The Second Book of Pearl: The Cats" is now available as either a paper chapbook or as a downloadable item. See below for the Pay Pal link or click on its cover just to the right of the newest blog post to download to your Kindle, iPad, or Nook. Just $3.99 for inspired tales of gin, gambling addiction and inter-feline betrayal.

My first chapbook, I Was Raised to be A Lert is in its third printing and is available both via the PayPal link below and on smashwords! Order one? Download one? It's all for you, baby!

Friday, April 3, 2009

If You Want It, Chase It!

Welcome to Friday, everyone. Step this way, gaze deeply into your own navel and tell me what the following has to say about the coming weekend...

I Got Mine by the Black Keys
Somebody Told Me by The Killers
All ‘Cause of You by The 88
Cult of Personality by Living Colour
Long Time Gone by Crosby, Stills & Nash
Born to Wander by Rare Earth
Love Cats by The Cure
Your Country by Gogol Bordello

My interpretation? Stay inside and make a cherry pie! (But then, that's my usual interpretation.)

Today is one of those days where once again I am in love with humanity. Just take a look! See all those weirdos out there? One of them is me – and, quite possibly, you.

Said with love, of course.

It was the bus driver that set off today’s love affair – which sounds far more interesting than it actually is. Me and the bus driver? Nah. While I enjoy his sparkling black eyes and the way his belly lays in his lap, he’s not for me; and I think we both know that now.

Now.

But enough about our ill-fated love! This isn’t about The Bus Driver and The Blogger! (That’s more of a Monday blog, don’t you think?) This is about the bus driver and the woman who ran four blocks to catch the bus this morning – and the fact that he waited for her.

Poor thing. There she was, a young woman in seasonally inappropriate glitter-gold shoes, running with the determination rarely shown amongst the young nowadays. The gold shoes ate up the pavement stride by stride and I found myself rooting for the gal in the fancy slippers.

When she finally got to the bus, she gasped a “thank you” to the driver and proceeded to cough until she gagged. Poor girlie! The cold, damp air of a Minnesota morning is not for everyone. If she had looked up, she would’ve seen me, smiling and internally applauding for her efforts. Despite the morning's late start, she caught up and was now back on track. I think that's wonderful, even if she did sacrifice a lung to do it.

OK. So she wouldn’t have seen the internal applauding. Really, that’s just gross. But you get my meaning...

It’s Friday, everyone; and for the next two days, most of us are free not to chase the bus.

And I won’t. Don’t you, either.

We're right where we need to be.

Stop by tomorrow or Sunday. I’ll be here.

30 comments:

Michelle said...

FIRST FIRST - I AM FIRST!!!

Ok, got that out of my system!!!

Hi Pearly-Q what up yo? That could have quite possibly been me running for the bus! But, I would have been most definitely wearing sneakers. No fancy shoes for this chick!!

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Oh did i mention I am first???

Pearl said...

You are so first, Michelle, that it scares me.
:-)
And that girl gave it her all, that's for sure. The coughing until she gagged bit would've been really gross if I hadn't seen how far she ran. I give her credit for her determination!

darsden said...

Pearl I kept waiting for the cliffhanger...I just knew it was going to be you running for the bus...we know how bad your lungs have been lately...Sure sounds like the drugs have finally fixed you up. Glad to hear it and go bake me a pie Woman! Have a great weekend Pearl, it is beautiful here and hoping you get some spring this weekend.

Kim said...

I was afraid you might say she fell flat on her face. Glad she didn't!

Ann Imig said...

Speaking of all things transportation...I gave you the trainwreck award. Congratulations and condolences. ;) C'mon over.

Pearl said...

darsden, you are so funny! Now excuse me while I go bake you a pie. :-)

Under the Influence, oooh, I've not intended to make anyone think anything bad is going to happen! (And I'm glad as well that she didn't fall on her face! That would've been awful...)

naperville mom said...

Now I'm applauding for you, Pearl:) Maybe, fridays're good for setting the inks to 'flow'...in some glittery, gold shoes:)

The Retired One said...

Ok...I am missing my golden shoes, and now I hear a chick in Minnesota has stolen them and is chasing buses in them?
Sigh.
Nothing is safe!

Anonymous said...

When I think of someone running to catch a bus, I think of the beginning of that movie SPEED. Good thing there wasn't a bomb on your bus...but then again you might have been the girl to end up kissing Keanu Reeves...damn...you were so close Pearl!
Happy Friday!

anon said...

That was really nice of you to root for the girl, even internally. Without your subliminal message of support she may have missed that bus, been fired, unable to support her single parent family and ended up unemployed, homeless and alone. We all have to do what we can for the karma.
Good job!

MJenks said...

How can you interpret "make a cherry pie" from those song titles? I see no mention of Warrant in the artists at all.

Crazy Mo said...

There's always a silver lining. I think I would have felt the same way about the bus driver. It's rare to find one who waits.

And you're making pie? For everyone?? I like apple, thanks.

Suldog said...

I always root for the person chasing the bus. There's just something so... underdog about the chase.

Aria said...

God Bless Her for her tenacity! I'd have just quoted my old standby to the boss ~ "Better late than dead"

The Jules said...

It's fun to run after a bus, running and waving so that it waits, and then carrying on past it up the road but still waving frantically.

So I'm told.

Eskimo Bob said...

Pearl -

What can I say? This blog post has it all.

* - Sultry invitations.
* - Fortune telling.
* - Fruit pastries and or 80's Rock.
* - Platonic love.
* - Intrigue.
* - Unrequited love.
* - Damsel in distress.
* - Action.
* - Suspense.
* - Victory over all odds.
* - Regional morning weather update.
* - I guess some medical or medicinal insights.
* - An open invitation.

Bravo.

Bevie said...

Nice to see they replaced the driver who used to drive the bus I rode up to Mounds View. He wouldn't wait for people if they were ten feet away. Not exactly "Minnesota Nice".

But that was back in the '70s.

Hope you're feeling better.

underOvr (aka The U) said...

Ahhhh youth!

The young run and run
Their strides always playing "catch up"
Me? I'm old so I try to be wise
And say, "There'll be another bus"

Have a great weekend Pearl!

U

Roshni said...

'Dorothy' should have clicked her golden shoes!! That would have saved her the trouble of running after public transportation!!!

Mary@Holy Mackerel said...

Clap ON for that bus driver.

The bus drivers here are a**holes, for the most part. I don't take the bus, haven't for ages.

One FEMALE bus driver screamed at my 11 year old son last week because he didn't know how to put the tickets in the box.

Bustards.

Have a great weekend, cutie.

darsden said...

Dang I hate when I am teased by a non posted post! I feel like a train wreck waiting to happen now. LOL...*smirking*

Douglas said...

One more reason why I don't take the bus. Well, I'd have to un-retire first and I ain't gonna do that!

♥ Braja said...

OK but can i have some cherry pie? And will Love Cats ever go out of my head now that it's in there? Sigh...

Irish Gumbo said...

"Cult of Personality" by Living Colour...AND Gogol Bordello?!

Pearl, if you wanted to go out with me, why didn't you just ask? (biggrin)

Love the tunes, dear, awesome. I'll have to crank 'em both up this weekend. Thanks!

Melissa said...

There was a time I may have been the woman in the weather-inappropriate shoes chasing public transportation... I don't go there too much though... The memories are fuzzy and not all that great. ;)

Anonymous said...

Hilarious! And an internal applaud to Michelle - who, I think, was first today...

The gold-slippered young lady sounds like my friend who missed the train yesterday and had to run like the wind in her inappropriately high-heeled boots, kicking tourists out of her way as she ran...

Gadjo Dilo said...

I think if I was an overweight bus driver having girls running after me and then gasping “thank you” would make the job more than worthwhile!

Unknown said...

It's nice when there are good people in the world. They are ever harder to find these days.
I love your Fridays. I keep meaning to try the ipod thing out. Think it works on a Saturday? Hubby's away overnight and I've got the kids, wonder what shuffle would have to say about that? I'm kinda scared to find out...

Pearl said...

Naperville mom, thank you for the applause!

Retired One, I have a good idea of where she lives, if you want me to hunt her down.

Sweet Cheeks, I could never cheat on Johnny (Depp)…

Powdergirl, I am here for karma and doing my best!

iNDefatigable, I see cherry pie everywhere I go!

Crazy Mo, make sure to bring your own fork. I’m almost sure I don’t have enough silverware…

Suldog, I like that visual!

Aria, the woman was on a mission.

Eskimo Bob, you amuse me, as usual.

Bevie, thank you! I’m so much better. Still sleeping a lot but practically fit for service…

U, I’ve chased a bus or two (and a person or two!) in my life, but I’m with you: there’ll be another.

Roshni, do you know that I started (and deleted) a section referring to her as “Dorothy”?! Funny that you did the same!

Mary, I’ve always thought that bus drivers show admirable restraint, but I would definitely write a letter of disgust to the manager of the driver who screamed at your son.
I’m pretty good at the letters of disgust.

Darsden, teasing is wrong, iddin it?

Douglas, un-retiring is un-American. Unless you’re a rock band with yacht payments to make. Then you do one more tour…

Braja, sorry about the Love Cats! It does stick with you, doesn’t it? And yes: you may have cherry pie!

Irish, Hey! Glad to see you!! Gogol Bordello is coming in May to The Cabooze, a small-ish venue that attracts decent bands…

DocElectron, I hear you. Thank heavens that stuff was while young while we still had the energy (and powers of recovery).

Ladyfi, I like the internal applause, don’t you? Kind of a quiet “rooting” going on… As for kicking tourists, I get that feeling every December when the rural folks flood Minneapolis and wander through the skyways, slowly, pushing strollers and stopping in doorways…

Gadjo Dilo, I had not looked at it that way and I think you may be on to something!

Blogging Mama Andrea, I’m pretty sure the iPod shuffle works whenever and however you want it to! If the results look scary, you may want to look into what kind of music you’re attracted to! Otherwise, I’m pretty sure the shuffle will tell you that you are beautiful and should dance around with an imaginary microphone once the kids are in bed!

troutay said...

Yay! a Minnesota blogger!
I have added you to my "must reads" list.